The Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier have been the only real contenders in the “small” truck market for years now. I use quotes there because the Tacoma has become the size of an older F-150, which in effect has turned it into a full-grown pickup.

If you made a list of the seven worst new cars on the road, how many would be products of the U.S. Big Three?

If you’re Forbes Magazine, the answer is all seven.

That’s a pretty harsh assessment. It’s also an unfair one, considering at least four of the vehicles are scheduled to either end production or be replaced by all-new models. I’m not normally the guy who jumps to the defense of American automobile manufacturers, but this time they deserve a break.

Audi’s impressive lineup of vehicles continues to grow, with the A9 about to become the latest flagship to sit atop the four-ringed stable.

The car, which will look nothing like the concept above (though the LEDs in the wheels would be cool), will add a whole new level of awesome to the Audi brand, since the A9 is rumored to be based on the same underpinnings as the coming Lamborghini Estoque sedan, the next Porsche Panamera and maybe the Bentley Continental GT.

AutoBild, according to our Google Translator, says coupe and convertible versions will come by 2014. We can hope a sedan version follows and, dare we ask for it, an S9 sedan? That’s something that should give the Aston Martin Rapide and Maserati Quattroporte a run for their money!

As supply dwindles and production continues to sputter, new-car shoppers are already seeing higher prices for some of the more fuel-efficient Japanese vehicles.

The cost of the imports is going up, because earthquake-related production shutdowns in Japan are reducing supply of the autos that people are increasingly snatching off dealer lots.

That’s a simple supply-and-demand equation, with cars like the Toyota Prius and Honda Fit becoming more popular as gas prices get closer to $4 per gallon. It just so happens those are also two of the cars hard-hit by production slowdowns, and dealers are raising their prices, in some cases, to over MSRP.

Will a similar price increase trickle down to used cars? It’s entirely possible.